The best World Series matchups of all time

After winning Games 4 and 5 at home, Milwaukee held a 3-2 lead and was on the verge of bringing a World Series title to Brew Town for the first time in this franchise's history. However, the Cardinals had other ideas. They rolled to a 13-1 win in Game 6 but had to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finale by scoring three times in the sixth for a 6-3 victory, earning the ninth of their 11 World Series titles.

This was the first World Series to feature two wild-card teams. It was the World Series of the "Rally Monkey" and J.T. Snow saving Dusty Baker's young son from being run over at home plate. It also featured the Angels rallying from a 3-2 series hole and a 5-0 deficit in Game 6 to take the final two at home for their only World Series title to date. Barry Bonds' line for San Francisco: 8-for-17; four homers; six RBI; 13 walks.

The Cardinals needed seven games and a comeback from a 2-1deficit to win a seventh World Series at the time. Though star hurler Bob Gibson was touched up for five runs and three homers in Game 7, he still struck out nine and went the distance as St. Louis won 7-5. Gibson went 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA en route to winning his first World Series MVP.

It was a special time for the Athletics, who won the franchise's first World Series since 1930, when based in Philadelphia. Oakland won the first two games at Cincinnati — both one-run affairs — but lost three of the next four before pulling out another one-run win, 3-2, in Game 7. Oakland's serviceable yet unspectacular catcher Gene Tenace went 8-for-23 with four homers and nine RBI to upstage Reds star Johnny Bench, who went 1-for-9 in the final three games.

While there were some lopsided finishes during this World Series, it was special for a tense, 3-2 Giants win in Game 7 and the remarkable, big-time pitching of ace Madison Bumgarner. After allowing one earned run and seven hits over 16 innings in Games 1 and 5 (a complete game in the latter), Bumgarner threw five scoreless innings of relief in Game 7 to secure the title for San Francisco.

This matchup is known for Enos Slaughter's full-blown, Game 7 sprint around the bases to score the go-ahead run from first on "Hat" Walker's double in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Cardinals won the game 4-3 after fighting back from being down three games to two. Walker went 7-for-17 with six RBI in the Series.

Toronto won this World Series in six games, but it was certainly a memorable one that featured 81 combined runs. The fun truly began in Game 4 at Philadelphia, when the Phillies led 4-3 after one inning and 14-9 heading into the eighth, That's when the Blue Jays scored six times, highlighted by Devon White's two-run triple. Then came Game 6 and Joe Carter's unforgettable, three-run walk-off shot down the left field line off Mitch Williams in the ninth for a Series-clinching 8-6 victory. "Touch 'em all, Joe."

Behind "Pops" Stargell, the "Cobra" Dave Parker and some stellar pitching over the final three games, the "We Are Family" Pirates became the fourth team at the time to fight back from a 3-1 hole, and they beat Baltimore for the second time in the World Series that decade — both on the road in Game 7. Pittsburgh pitchers allowed just two earned runs over the final three contests.

Despite being outscored 24-21 by the Mets, Oakland still managed to win its second of three straight World Series. The A's used some stellar pitching especially from their bullpen, which allowed three earned runs over 31 innings despite yielding 14 walks. New York's Rusty Staub hit .423 with six RBI in the series, but Oakland's Reggie Jackson was the MVP thanks to a two-run homer that highlighted a four-run third for the A's in their 5-2 Game 7 win.

A total back-and-forth series, as neither team won back-to-back games. The Marlins had the home-field advantage but only won twice at their own yard, in Game 1 and most memorably in dramatic fashion in Game 7. After Craig Counsell tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, Edgar Renteria lined a rope off pitcher Charles Nagy's glove and into center field to score Counsell for a 3-2, 11-inning victory and the club's first World series title.

It's not often that one player is able to almost single-handedly win a World Series for his team. Sandy Koufax pretty much did it for the Dodgers against a daunting Twins lineup that featured Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew. After sitting out Game 1, which fell on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, Koufax allowed one earned run in a Game 2 loss and then tossed complete-game shutouts in Games 5 and 7. He struck out 29 over the Series for the Dodgers, who bounced back after losing the first two at Minnesota.

This was not one of the prettiest World Series of all time, and New York totaled 38 runs in its three victories, but its Game 7 is considered one of the greatest games in baseball history. The Pirates managed just 17 runs through the first six games; however, they scored four times over the first two innings of the finale, five times in the eighth and won the game, 10-9, on Bill Mazeroski's solo homer in the ninth — after the Yankees tied it with two in the top of the inning — via the first home run to end a deciding Game 7 in World Series history. 

The Yankees needed to rally after losing the first two games on the road, and they did. Of course, this World Series was best known for housing what's arguably the greatest individual moment in Series history. Yankees right-hander Don Larsen, who allowed four unearned runs over 1 2/3 innings of a Game 2 loss, tossed his legendary perfect game during a 2-0 victory in Game 5. Larsen struck out seven in the greatest pitching performance in postseason history.

One won't find a World Series that exudes more baseball history and folklore than this one. Not only did the Cardinals win in seven games for their first World Series title, but Game 7 also ended with Babe Ruth being thrown out trying to steal second base. Ruth homered three times during the Yankees' 10-5 win in Game 4, which gave birth to the story that the Bambino promised a sick boy he would hit a homer in the game. After doing so, the boy's condition improved. Meanwhile, St. Louis' Grover Cleveland "Pete" Alexander went the distance to win Games 2 and 6 and tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings for the save in Game 7. 

After the teams split the first two games, each decided by one run, St. Louis rolled to a 16-7 win in Game 3 at Texas. However, the Rangers won the next two at home and led 7-4 in a back-and-forth Game 6. St. Louis, though, rallied as David Freese's two-run triple tied it at 7 in the ninth and after Texas scored two in the top of the 10th, the Cardinals again answered with two in the bottom of the frame. They ultimately won, 10-9, on Freese's solo homer in the 11th and claimed the championship with a 6-2 victory in Game 7.

Down 3-1 against Bob Gibson and the mighty Cardinals, Detroit rallied to win a World Series that showcased three of the game's best pitchers. While Gibson went 2-1 with a 1.67 ERA and the Tigers' 31-game winner Denny McLain was 1-2 with a 3.24 ERA, it was Detroit's Mickey Lolich who was the star of the Fall Classic. He went 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA, throwing all complete games and allowing one run while pitching Game 7 on two days' rest.

It was Roberto Clemente's time to shine for the Pirates. The legendary outfielder helped Pittsburgh overcome losing the first two games on the road. He went 12-of-29 at the plate with two home runs, two doubles and a triple while striking out just twice. Clemente also flashed some serious leather in the outfield at times en route to the Pirates' fourth World Series triumph.

The Houston Astros' first World Series as an American League team featured two of the craziest and most entertaining contests in the annals of the Fall Classic. In Houston's 7-6 victory in 11 innings of Game 2, the teams combined for eight homers and totaled seven runs in extra innings. In Game 5, each team posted three innings scoring at least three runs, with the Astros pulling out a wild 13-12 victory in 10. Unfortunately for baseball fans, Houston's 5-1 Game 7 victory was a far from spectacular finale.

In an odd circumstance, the best-of-seven 1912 World Series needed eight games to decide a winner. That's because Game 2 ended in a 6-6 tie due to darkness. New York's Christy Mathewson (1.26 ERA in series) and Boston's "Smoky" Joe Wood (3-1 in the series) shined on the mound, and four of the games were decided by one run — including the Red Sox's decisive 3-2, 10-inning victory in Game 8.

Perhaps this was the most emotional World Series in the grand history of the game. In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on America, the Diamondbacks and Yankees played a World Series for the ages. The scene at Yankee Stadium was almost surreal considering the circumstances, and despite being outscored 37-14 in the Series, New York rallied for extra-inning wins in Games 4 and 5 before Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling helped Arizona back from a 3-2 series hole to win its only title on Luis Gonzalez's game-winning single off Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth in Game 7.

The Giants held a 3-2 lead in the Series as they headed back to Washington for Game 6. Tom Zachary went the distance for the Senators during a 2-1 victory to force Game 7. That's when Walter Johnson pitched the final four scoreless innings on one day's rest to help Washington pull out a 4-3, 12-inning victory for the franchise's first World Series title.

This was the World Series that Red Sox fans like to blame on "The Curse of the Bambino." Twice in Game 6, Boston was one strike away from winning its first title since 1918. But the Mets tied it in the eighth and scored three times with two outs in the bottom of the 10th — and aided by Boston first baseman Bill Buckner's infamous error — to win Game 6. New York then overcame a 3-0 deficit in Game 7 by scoring all eight of its runs over the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to claim its first title since 1969.

The mental and emotional exhaustion the fan bases of both sides experienced here was unmatched in the history of the World Series. Up 3-1, Cleveland was one win away from its first title since 1948. However, the Cubs rallied with a tight win in Game 5 and a blowout triumph in Game 6 and then overcame blowing an eighth-inning lead and used Jason Heyward's passionate speech during a 10th-inning rain delay to score twice in that inning en route to an 8-7, Game 7 victory for their first World Series title in 108 years.     

Known best for Carlton Fisk's dramatic, arm-waving, foul-pole-hitting homer in the bottom of the 12th inning for a 7-6 Boston win in Game 6, people tend to forget how entertaining Game 7 was at Fenway Park. The Red Sox led 3-0 going into the sixth before the Reds chipped away.They eventually took the lead in the ninth on Joe Morgan's bloop RBI single that ultimately gave them a 4-3 win and World Series title.

This was tough to beat in terms of competitiveness. Five of the seven games were decided by one run, and three needed extra innings. Games 6 and 7 are certainly among the best in World Series history. Kirby Puckett's game-winning homer in the 11th for a 4-3 win in that sixth game rocked the Metrodome and let Jack Buck tell us, "We'll see you...tomorrow night." That's when Jack Morris outdueled John Smoltz with his 10-inning outing during the 1-0 victory in the decisive Game 7.